The Spark Creativity Teacher Podcast | ELA

317: Classroom Design with Real Impact (from the Archives)

13 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Today I'd like to share one of my favorite episodes from the Spark Creativity Teacher Podcast archives. In this special episode, I invited five creati...

316: Easy Ways to Connect with your Department

08 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

On this week's mini-episode, I just have a very quick idea for you and it's this. As back-to-school hits, it's easy to immediately become isolated in ...

315: The Back-to-School Independent Reading Kickstart

06 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Back-to-School season is the perfect time to set up your reading program for success throughout the year. Heading into the school year with a wel...

314: How to Plan toward an Assessment

01 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

On this week's mini-episode, I want to answer a question from our community about lesson planning. Here it is: "How do you plan? I'm struggling to put...

313: Don't Make My First Day of School Mistakes

30 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Maybe you've heard the story of how I almost quit teaching on my first first day of school. Despite the fact that I had spent three months preparin...

312: Your Stress-Free Back-to-School Night

25 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

On this week's mini-episode, I want to share my top strategy for taking the pressure off you while delivering a great experience for parents on back-t...

311: Teaching Life Skills

23 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

If I told you the ELA elective we're about to dive into has an "awkward party" unit, would you believe me? Well, it does, and I can't wait for you ...

310: Rock the Reading Block

18 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

On this week's mini-episode, I want to answer a question from our community about reading in class. Here it is " Hi all. Next year my middle school wi...

309: Exploring Modern ELA Mediums (The Elective Series)

16 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

What would you do if you had nine weeks to help ELA students imagine the real-world use of ELA skills? Inside the unique elective wheel program at Lis...

308: Highly Recommended: Build an Easy Careers Unit in ELA

11 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This week let's talk about careers. I don't know if you can relate, but I graduated from high school with a general awareness of maybe six careers - l...

307: Teaching African American Literature (The Elective Series)

09 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Today on the show, we'll find out what happened when an administrator attended a student's genius hour project presentation about a new elective she ...

306: Help! My Readers have such Different Skill Levels

04 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

On this week's mini-episode, I want to answer a question sent in by a member of our community. Here's what she writes: Hi Betsy, I have classes of 10t...

305: Teaching Dramatic Writing (The Elective Series Continues)

02 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Today on the show we're hearing from Valerie Boehm, who teaches a Dramatic Writing elective in Georgia as part of the state's initiative to help more...

Trailer: The Spark Creativity Teacher Podcast

21 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Join me each week for innovative teaching strategies you can use immediately in your ELA classroom, from choice reading help to book clubs, project-ba...

304: The Day my English Students Questioned our Bleak Book Choices

06 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

On this week's mini-episode, I'm remembering the moment my 11th graders asked me to please, please, please add a book to our English curriculum that w...

303: The End-of-Year Checklist for a Better August

04 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Last night I dreamed I was teaching in a new classroom, except it had layers of stuff on the walls from three other teachers across twenty years of t...

302: Is this your Canva Summer?!

30 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

On this week's mini-episode, let's talk about my favorite online teacher tool, Canva. If you haven't signed up for their free educator program yet, th...

301: The Easiest Last Day in ELA

28 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

You want the last day of ELA to be special, but what does that mean exactly? And who has the energy to think up this special plan when you're jugglin...

300: Teaching Summer English Classes? 2 Paths to a Happier July

23 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

On this week's mini-episode, let's talk summer school. Because I know that if you ARE teaching summer school, you'd like it to be engaging. Memorable....

299: 3 Years Overseas: The Highs & Lows (as we prepare to say goodbye)

21 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

As the sun rises a little earlier each day and the cherry trees in our neighborhood fill with fruit, our three years in Europe are coming to a close....

298: This Shakespeare Podcast connects the Bard to Modern Life

16 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Today I want to talk about a fantastic podcast for you to use in class if you teach Shakespeare. With dozens of intriguing episodes like "Shakespeare ...

297: How to Squeeze Choice Reading into ELA (even if it feels impossible)

14 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Choice reading can sometimes feel like an out-of-reach dream. I recently heard from a busy teacher who wrote, "I love choice reading, but squeezing i...

296: My Favorite Final Exam (I mean, not that I don't love Multiple Choice)

09 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Today I want to talk final exams, and specifically, one I've really enjoyed giving when I had the leeway to skip the sit-down exam. If you don't have ...

295: Revision Frustration? Try This.

07 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Do your students think of the revision process as a combo of spellcheck and Grammarly? Tend to peer edit by scrawling a compliment and circling two s...

294: Crying in the Dusty Stairwell (on Hitting a Wall in Teaching)

02 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Today I want to talk about a subject I'm sure you've thought a lot about - how much are you willing to do for your job? And what do you do when you'v...

293: Creative Exam Review Activities for ELA (that don't involve a packet)

30 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

With exam season coming up, you're probably looking for some creative ELA review activities. Whether your school requires that students sit a tradi...

292: Try the Sesame Street Quiz (5 Different Ways)

25 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Today, I want to highlight a useful tool Amanda Cardenas shared earlier this year on the show called The Sesame Street Quiz. It's so versatile, so fun...

291: When Genius Hour WORKS (The Elective Series)

23 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Have you ever wished you could get students excited about genius hour, then immediately wondered what you'd do if half of them couldn't think of a to...

290: Try this Hack to Teach Varied Sentence Structure

18 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

  Welcome to the Thursday edition of The Spark Creativity Teacher Podcast, a podcast for English teachers in search of creative teaching strategies....

289: How to Launch Book Talk Podcasts in English Class

16 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Book talk podcasts can provide gentle choice reading accountability, target presentation of knowledge and speaking skills, and build a library of boo...

288: A Lesser-Known Amanda Gorman Gem

11 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Welcome to the Thursday edition of The Spark Creativity Teacher Podcast, a podcast for English teachers in search of creative teaching strategies. Whe...

277: How Erica Used the AI PBL Project to give her Students Voice

09 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

It's never a bad thing when your classroom innovation lands you at a press conference with your state's department of education! That's what happe...

276: Let All Books Count: A Tale of Two Kids

04 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Welcome to the Thursday edition of The Spark Creativity Teacher Podcast, a podcast for English teachers in search of creative teaching strategies. Whe...

275: Teaching SciFi & Fantasy (The Elective Series continues)

02 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

We're about to dive into an elective that combines Beowulf, The Hobbit, Ursula Leguin, graphic novels, and contemporary YA! What holds all these threa...

274: Using Students' Love of Youtube to our ELA Advantage

28 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Welcome to the Thursday edition of The Spark Creativity Teacher Podcast, a podcast for English teachers in search of creative teaching strategies. Whe...

273: First Chapter Friday: Nancy Tandon Reads

26 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Welcome to the author spotlight series at Spark Creativity. In this series, you'll hear from authors sharing their work directly into your classro...

272: You Need to Know about this Short Story

21 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Welcome to the Thursday edition of The Spark Creativity Teacher Podcast, a podcast for English teachers in search of creative teaching strategies. Whe...

271: #Bookface is Well Worth a Look

19 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

You know how we feel here at Spark Creativity about Book PR. Basically it's the best. We're all about bookish posters, displays, podcasts, guest rea...

270: Try a March Madness Poetry Bracket

14 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Today, let's talk about March Madness, and how to harness all that awesome enthusiasm to get your students excited about poetry. Last year I worked wi...

269: Teaching Research to Digital Natives

12 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Remember when research projects involved stacks of books and notecards? Yeah, me too. But we all know research has changed. I recently finished a co...

268: Try These Google Translate Tools in Class

07 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Welcome to the Thursday edition of The Spark Creativity Teacher Podcast, a podcast for English teachers in search of creative teaching strategies. Whe...

267: So your Students aren't Doing the Reading? Here's Help.

05 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

  Today on the podcast, we're sitting down with Amanda Cardenas to talk about a very big question. A huge question, really. What can teachers do whe...

266: Summer PD that Delivers for English Teachers

29 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Let's talk about some of the best summer PD options out there for English teachers.  First things first, I've got to tell you about my personal favor...

265: Teaching Conversation in a Polarized World (The Elective Series Begins)

27 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Lately I've been thinking a lot about electives. Electives I want to design, like one about Youtube creation and one about Taylor Swift, and the am...

264: Launch Tiny Podcasts (don't be intimidated)

22 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Welcome to the Thursday edition of The Spark Creativity Teacher Podcast, a podcast for English teachers in search of creative teaching strategies. Whe...

263: Let's Reimagine the "Teacher Work Room"

20 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Ahh, the hum of fluorescent lighting. The slightly stained carpeting. The copier that is almost-if-not-already-out-of-paper. The dirty coffee cups. I...

262: Let Students Design Escape Rooms

16 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This week, I want to suggest you let your students design an escape room. Escape rooms are, in the iconic words of Zoolander, so hot right now. And th...

261: Skill Practice that Isn't Boring: Grammar Edition

13 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

So you want your students to get better at something, but drill-and-kill is clearly not the answer. Been there, done that, didn't like it. So what's ...

260: Try this Super Bowl Activity for Rhetorical Analysis that's Fun

08 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This week, I want to share a great way to tie rhetorical analysis into the upcoming Superbowl.  First things first, we know this Superbowl has a hila...

259: First Chapter Friday: Matt de la Peña Reads

06 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Welcome to the second episode of the author spotlight series here at Spark Creativity! In this series, you'll hear from authors sharing their work ...

258: A Simple Trick for a Better Discussion

01 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This week, I want to share a quick way to help make your next discussion better. The next time you plan a discussion in class, start it off with this ...

257: Build a Common Errors Hyperdoc to Dramatically Speed up Grading

30 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

We've been talking this month about the paper pile. The work bag shadow. The stack of essays you just might have taken to the ice cream social/Super...

256: Highly Recommended: Try a Pancake Project (It's Not About The Pancakes!)

25 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This week, I want to tell you a story about pancakes. You might know I love to cook and bake. My instagram stories feature enough pan-banging cookie d...

255: How to Set Up Self-Editing Stations in English Class

23 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

I'll never forget the "C" I got on my first English paper in college. I was walking across the quad in the warm eucalyptus-scented California air whe...

254: Highly Recommended: Try This For Black History Month

18 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This week, I want to share a quick resource to help you celebrate Black Artists and Authors in your classroom next month.  Last year I started a proj...

253: No More Taking Grading Everywhere you Go

16 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

I recently polled our community on Instagram about the paper pile. Because let's face it, it's a huge part of an English teacher's life. How many pap...

252: The First Chapter Friday Series: Megan E. Freeman reads from Alone

09 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Welcome to the first episode of the author spotlight series here at Spark Creativity! In this series, you'll hear from authors sharing their work d...

251: Highly Recommended: My Favorite Planner Routine

05 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This week, I want to share the daily planning routine that is working better for me this year than anything I've ever done.  Figuring out how to appr...

250: Fire up your Choice Reading Program, with Abby Gross

02 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Today on the podcast, we're sitting down with Abby Gross from Write on with Miss G, who has become known for her thriving reading program and the won...

249: Highly Recommended: Make Over your Work Space

21 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This week I want to talk about your work space and why it matters that you love it. Do you remember having a locker in middle school? Remember taping ...

248: A Simple Solution To The First Day Back

19 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

There's nothing quite like knowing exactly what you're going to do on the first day back after break as you cruise into the winter vacation. Giving y...

247: Highly Recommended: This Book Project Kids Like

14 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This week I want to talk about the literary food truck project and why it's time to try it if you haven't yet! Since I designed this project many year...

246: Inspire Winter Break Reading with a Book Tasting Now

12 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Did you know that in Iceland they have a special holiday tradition called "Book Flood" on Christmas eve? People gift each other books, then relax and...

245: Highly Recommended: "Sketchnote Fever"

07 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This week I want to talk what to do if you're trying to help your students take advantage of the benefits of sketchnotes but they're stuck. We're goin...

244: Creative Winter Poetry Activities for ELA

05 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The week before winter break can be a great time for wintery poetry. A mini-unit like this is flexible, seasonal, and easy to fit around whatever e...

243: Highly Recommended: The Chunk-and-Schedule Method

30 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This week I want to share a productivity tip that has changed my life in ways large and small.  Three years ago we were all in the heart of a pandemi...

242: Building Better Book Clubs, with Martina Cahill

28 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Today on the podcast, we're sitting down with Martina Cahill, who goes by The Hungry Teacher online. One of her great gifts is helping middle school ...

241: Highly Recommended: Reframe Argument like This for English Students

23 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This week I want to talk about argument, and why it sometimes seems so esoteric to kids when they learn about it in class, and so relevant when they w...

240: Easy Ways to use Performance Poetry in ELA (and why you Should!)

21 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

When it comes to an engaging poetry unit, I believe the #1 building block is performance. There's something about watching contemporary poets stand u...

239: Highly Recommended: Use One-Pagers as a Creative Gateway

16 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This week I want to talk about how one-pagers can be a powerful gateway to creative options in your classroom.  Let's start with the one-pager basics...

238: Let me Plan your ELA Lessons the Week before Thanksgiving

14 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The week before Thanksgiving it's easy to feel a little scattered! For teachers AND students. It can be nice to take a break from your main unit and ...

237: Highly Recommended: Don't Grade it All

09 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This week I want to share advice I only wish someone had given me long ago - don't grade everything your students create in class.  It's easy to feel...

236: When your English Students just... Don't Care

08 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

We've all been there. You walk into your English class, unveil your new ELA lesson plan with all the joy and care of a museum curator lifting the vei...

235: Highly Recommended: Gene Luen Yang's Ted Talk

02 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

I want you to watch Gene Luen Yang's Ted talk called "Comics Belong in the Classroom!"  Here's why. It's a hilarious look at why comics are such a po...

234: Closing the Opportunity Gap, with Reid Saaris

31 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Today on the podcast, we're joined by education leader Reid Saaris. He's the founder of Equal Opportunity Schools, a nonprofit dedicated to ensuring ...

233: Highly Recommended: Teach Living Poets

26 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This week I want to share a wonderful website and resource with you, Melissa Alter Smith's brainchild, Teach Living Poets. When I first started teachi...

232: Building More Inclusive Classrooms with Dr. Mark Gooden

24 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Today on the podcast, we're sitting down with Dr. Mark Gooden, the Christian Johnson Endeavor Professor in Education Leadership and Director of the E...

231: Highly Recommended: Try using your Whiteboard like This

19 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This week I want to give you a few quick ideas for using your whiteboard to help share great books with your students. First things first, your whiteb...

230: Creative Short Story Station Ideas for ELA

17 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Need a creative approach to your next short story? Or short story unit? (By the way, here are some fabulous classic and contemporary short stories ...

229: Highly Recommended: These Stunning Posters

13 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This week I want to tell you about the most beautiful, powerful, impactful classroom posters I've seen on the internet. And they're totally free.  Th...

228: Taylor Made for ELA: The Swift Collabisode

11 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In this podcast, discover NINE creative ways to bring Taylor Swift's music into class. Find out how to have students create their own eras, practice p...

227: Highly Recommended: Don't Play Email Whack-a-Mole

05 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This week I've got a productivity tip to give you so much more focused time in your classroom.   Let's talk about email, and how often you check it. ...

226: Banned Books Week Starts Now (Here's Help)

02 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

As Banned Books Week kicks off, I know not every teacher is in a position to showcase it. In some places, it's simply too dangerous for an educator t...

225: Highly Recommended: Present or Publish your Work this Year

28 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This week I want to talk about getting you in front of an audience this year. My first year in the classroom I had an amazing mentor. Anne, my departm...

224: Here's How to Help Quieter Students into Discussion

26 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

There are so many reasons why a student may be quiet in class. The language may be difficult. They may need more time to think than the pace of discu...

223: Highly Recommended: The Bread Loaf School of English

21 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This week let's talk about a unique masters program - and the one I did - The Bread Loaf School of English. Quick Details: Summer Program out of Midd...

222: Creative Halloween Activities for October in ELA

19 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Have you reached for a turtleneck sweater yet? Bought one of those big pumpkins or bright purple mums at the stand along the road? Sipped your first s...

221: Highly Recommended: Ask for What you Want

14 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This week let's talk a different kind of topic, asking for what you want in education. When I was five, my mom took me to a raspberry farm. I leaped o...

220: Try Teaching The College Essay like This

12 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

I have to admit that even though I wrote three college essays, got into college, went to college, got my graduate degree in English and taught Englis...

219: Highly Recommended: Vocaroo

07 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This week let's talk about the simplest audio recording tool out there for students, Vocaroo.    Getting into activities like student podcasting, mu...

218: A Beginner's Guide to using Podcasts in the English Classroom

05 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

So you've heard the buzz about podcasts, and you're intrigued. You want to play an episode in your English classes, but you wonder what that would ev...

217: Highly Recommended: Research with a Twist

31 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This week let's talk about research, and the ways it shows up across the world these days. Because I'd like to highly recommend you build some researc...

216: Let's Talk Graphic Novels with Jerry Craft

29 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Today on the podcast, I'm so excited to bring you the first writer ever to win three very important prizes in literature - the Newberry Award, The Ki...

215: Highly Recommended: Book Trailers

25 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This week I want to share a super simple strategy for building more book recommendations into your classes in just two or three minute installments, b...

214: Build a Bridge to the Library this Year

24 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Librarians can help classroom teachers in sooooo many ways, and classroom teachers can return the favor by reminding kids they can always go further ...

213: Highly Recommended: The Unexplainable Disappearance of Mars Patel

17 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This week I want to share a fast-paced and fun podcast for middle schoolers, The Unexplainable Disappearance of Mars Patel. It's a peabody-award winn...

212: The Step-by-Step Guide to Creating Digital Bookshelves

15 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

So you want to share your favorite books with your students to help them love reading. Excellent! But maybe you lack the budget to keep up with their...

211: Highly Recommended: An Easier Back-to-School Night for ELA Teachers

10 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This week I want to share two quick ways to make back-to-school night in your English classroom something you can enjoy this year.  In today's episod...

210: Creative Alternatives to the Summer Reading Essay

08 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

So you've assigned a book you love (or maybe a selection of several) to your students for the summer, and soon enough they'll be back to share their t...

209: Highly Recommended: Alone

03 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This week I want to share one of my favorite recent reads - Alone, by Megan E Freeman. I picked up this book after hearing what a smash hit it was wit...